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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

@Kjhambrick, I ran across your summer 2017 thread which has examples of how-to upgrade microcode and the patch resulting to allow an easy upgrade. Linking here for more insight and examples for those looking to update their microcode. Also thanks to phenexia2003 for the patch that allows a flag to mkinitrd which simplifies this. https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...rs-4175608636/

It would be really great to see a docs.slackware.com article on "How to Update Intel Microcode" which captures all these ideas and suggestions but written by a senior Slackware member who really understands the different options and can describe the different paths for those using LTS kernels.

PS I read Greg K-H's Meltdown article last night and it appears that Meltdown and Spectre are only going to be addressed only on LTS kernels 4.4, 4.9, 4.14, although 4.15 is not yet LTS it is being worked on for Meltdown.

@Kjhambrick, I ran across your summer 2017 thread which has examples of how-to upgrade microcode and the patch resulting to allow an easy upgrade. Linking here for more insight and examples for those looking to update their microcode. Also thanks to phenexia2003 for the patch that allows a flag to mkinitrd which simplifies this. https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...rs-4175608636/

It would be really great to see a docs.slackware.com article on "How to Update Intel Microcode" which captures all these ideas and suggestions but written by a senior Slackware member who really understands the different options and can describe the different paths for those using LTS kernels.

PS I read Greg K-H's Meltdown article last night and it appears that Meltdown and Spectre are only going to be addressed only on LTS kernels 4.4, 4.9, 4.14, although 4.15 is not yet LTS it is being worked on for Meltdown.

Yikes !

Not only am I old and set in my ways, but I am old and forgetful too !

4.15 won't be an LTS kernel. It will become the latest stable, but that will be supplanted by 4.16 and then 4.17 and on. Non-LTS kernels are usually only supported for around 3 months before they EOL them and expect users to move to the next stable kernel.

LTS kernels are specifically selected to have a longer than normal life of updates -- now up to six years of updates, but only 4.4 and 4.14 will have that 6 years. 4.9 was stuck with the old LTS policy of updates for 2 years. We don't know what kernels will be LTS kernels until it is announced by a kernel developer, usually Greg Kroah-Hartman.

I'm actually kinda surprised that 4.1 isn't getting the updates (or maybe it is and I'm just not aware of it), because it won't be EOL until May 2018. Other than that, 4.4, 4.9, 4.14, and 4.15 are the only maintained kernels by kernel developers. All other kernels versions have been EOLed and probably won't see official updates for these vulnerabilities.

I'm actually kinda surprised that 4.1 isn't getting the updates (or maybe it is and I'm just not aware of it), because it won't be EOL until May 2018. Other than that, 4.4, 4.9, 4.14, and 4.15 are the only maintained kernels by kernel developers. All other kernels versions have been EOLed and probably won't see official updates for these vulnerabilities.

bassmadrigal --

The 4.1 Kernel is maintained by Sasha Levin and maybe there is more foundation code to back-port into 4.1 than 4.4, etc ???

Wouldn't it be neat to have all this knowledge packed in AlienBoB's Live Slackware image? Obviously, approved from "above". It'll help a lot of people and will definitely make Slackware more popular. Just a tough.

@keefaz I've tried to use that script and the first test is always failing as "couldn't find your kernel image in /boot,.."
My kernel responds to uname -r as '4.4.106-ba'. I saw where you suggested modifying line 113 of the script, but I've tried that and actually gone to a full 10 X's and it still doesn't recognize the kernel. The /boot/vmlinuz is a symlink to vmlinuz-custom-4.4.106 image on my machine. Any suggestions? Thanks

Wouldn't it be neat to have all this knowledge packed in AlienBoB's Live Slackware image? Obviously, approved from "above". It'll help a lot of people and will definitely make Slackware more popular. Just a tough.

Actually it would be great to have this on the docs.slackware.com page as "How to upgrade Intel microcode". Then future questions on LQ could be referenced to that article. I know @AlienBob also has a blog and he too has some nice write-ups but I believe this subject to be outside just the LiveSlak interest group.

Since the intent of this article was to guide me on how to properly upgrade Intel microcode, please move issues of latest kernel to that thread and issues of how to address Meltdown or Spectre to the Slackware security thread. Sorry about hi-jacking my own thread with the earlyier "PS about LTS support for Meltdown and Spectre" ouch. Maybe the test script suggestion could also be moved there please!